POV: Risa
I threw myself onto my bed the second I stepped into my room, face-first into the pillow.
Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!
My legs kicked uselessly against the mattress as heat flooded up my neck.
Stop thinking about it.
Stop thinking about it!
Stop thinking about it!!
I rolled over, hugging the pillow so tight it might burst. The room was dim—only the soft glow from the hallway slipped in through the crack under the door.
I didn't bother turning on the lights. I didn't want light, I wanted darkness. I wanted to hide my existence from myself.
Rion…
Just the thought of his name made my toes curl.
I've never seen him in that turtleneck before.
It fit him a little too well.
Yumi was right... His baggy clothes made him look really soft...
But he's also… he looked—
Cool.
I groaned into the pillow again, kicking once more.
But then… the way he gets awkward so easily…
How he overthinks everything…
How he lets himself be dragged around… It's—
…cute.
So cute.
"Aaaaaaaaahhh!!!" I rolled again, hiding my flaming face.
Why did he say things like that?
Why did he look at me like that?
Why—
My heart thumped hard enough to shake the mattress. I squeezed my eyes shut, but that just made the memories sharper.
The spoon.
I could feel the heat crawl all the way to my ears.
I only meant to share the tsukemono. I was going to put it neatly on his plate like a normal human being. But he jus—he just…
Leaned in... And ate it straight from the spoon.
My spoon.
I buried my face deeper.
Why did he do that?
Why didn't he hesitate??
Why didn't I stop him?!
My heart did a strange flip, remembering the way his lips brushed the metal. The exact spoon I was holding.
The exact spoon that I—
"AaAAaah stop it stop it stop it—!"
I rolled over, kicking the sheets like they were responsible for my suffering.
And then—
His question.
"If Mom didn't ask you… would you still drag me out?"
The moment replayed in my head with perfect clarity: the cold night air, the warm streetlight, his voice—soft but earnest, almost... vulnerable.
I clutched the pillow closer.
He asked it so suddenly I nearly forgot how breathing worked.
Would I still have dragged him out?
"…Of course I would," I whispered to no one, cheeks burning all over again.
I could still see his face when I said it—the way his eyes widened, just a little. The way his breath caught. Like he didn't expect it. Like it meant something.
It meant something to me, too.
My heart fluttered in my chest, uncontrollable and embarrassingly loud.
Why did he have to ask that?
Why did he sound so…
Disappointed...
When he thought I only came because of Meguriya-san?
Why did I care so much about clearing it up?
I curled into a ball.
I'm never going to recover from tonight.
Then my phone startled me with a buzz.
I scrambled upright and snatched my phone off the nightstand.
…
It was Kana.
Of course. It's always Kana at night—my best friend, chaos incarnate, telepathically sensing when I'm emotionally compromised.
Kana:
Yo. You alive? Or buried under work?
I hesitated.
Should I tell her?
Should I NOT tell her?
Is this even something that's appropriate to share??
My face heated just thinking about typing the words.
I flopped back down.
Okay. Deep breath. Just… keep it normal.
Me:
Hey, I'm home. Just tired.
Three seconds later:
Kana:
Liar.
Your typing energy screams "girl who almost exploded emotionally."
What happened? Spill.
Ahhh... Why is she like this.
I hugged my pillow tighter.
Me:
I went out with someone.
I regretted it immediately.
The typing dots appeared instantly. They didn't stop. At all.
Oh no.
Kana:
YOU WHAT.
WITH WHO.
WAIT—WAS IT THAT GUY
THE ONE YOU SECRETLY THINK IS CUTE
YOUR PATIENT'S SON??
RION???
I smacked my face with the pillow.
Why did I ever tell her anything about my life.
Me:
I don't think he's cute!
…Okay maybe I do but that's not the point—
Dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
She was typing with the absolute power of God.
Kana:
SO IT WAS HIM?????
HOLY—
WHAT HAPPENED
DETAILS
NOW
NO BREATHING
SPEAK
I stared at the screen, heart pounding, memories flooding back—the spoon, his question, his awkward smile, the way he kept stealing glances, the way he—
Nope.
Nope nope nope.
I typed with trembling fingers.
Me:
…He ate from my spoon.
There was total silence. No reply. No dots. Nothing.
I blinked.
Did she die???
Is she okay??
Did my message finally deliver her to God—
My phone exploded with vibration.
Kana:
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?
RISA
RISA????
THAT IS DIRECT CONTACT OF THE HIGHEST ORDER
WAS IT ACCIDENTAL OR DID HE LEAN IN LIKE A MAN ON A MISSION
Her wording made me want to evaporate.
Me:
He leaned in…
I didn't expect it.
I was going to put it on his plate…
Less than one second later:
Kana:
HE LEANED IN.
HE. LEANED. IN.
THAT BOY WANTS YOU IN 8K HDR WITH PREMIUM SUBTITLES I SWEAR—
"Kanaaa!" I squeaked aloud, even though she couldn't hear me. I rolled side to side on the bed like a dying shrimp, pillow over my face.
Then—a new message.
Kana:
…So?
Did you like it?
My breath caught.
The scene replayed— his face so close, his lips brushing the spoon, the way he looked afterward, surprised but not embarrassed— like he didn't regret it.
I bit my lip.
Me:
…Yeah.
…I liked it a lot.
Kana replied instantly.
Kana:
Girl.
You are DONE FOR.
I buried my burning face into the pillow again.
"…I know."
And for once, I wasn't even trying to deny it.